Homeless man is the master of fantasy football

Nathan Harrington of Salem, Mass., is the king of ESPN.com’s fantasy football league.

So what if he’s technically homeless and doesn’t have his own computer?

Harrington beat out a field of more than 3.1 million participants in prize-eligible leagues on ESPN.com this season.

Harrington has been unable to work since a car accident in 2009. He, his fiancee and 3-year-old son were forced to move out of their apartment because it was too rat infested. They have been living in a motel and he put his computer in storage. Still, four weeks into the season, he was among the top 50 players on the site.

“It was a ton of bad luck and good luck all rolled into one,” Harrington told The Salem News.

And he wasn’t that guy who drafts a team, never looks at it again and ends up winning.

Harrington, 33, made a series of impeccable moves that put him in position to win. His team, the Boston Beatdowns, drafted No. 1 running back Arian Foster. He traded early for No. 2 running back Adrian Peterson and No. 2 wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. He picked up No. 1 wide receiver Brandon Lloyd as a free agent.

In all, he made 26 moves and they all turned to gold. But he had to use computers at the library, a nursing home and family members’ houses to do it.

His best move – the one that clinched the top spot among the millions of players – was a leap of faith on a guy who is all about faith.

Harrington started the season with Tony Romo at quarterback. After he got hurt, Harrington ran through Matt Cassel, Carson Palmer, Shawn Hill, Sam Bradford, Jay Cutler and John Kitna as his starter. Going into the final week, he considered going with Cassel, but wondered if he should take Broncos rookie Tim Tebow.

“Just go with Tebow,” Harrington’s 17-year-old son, Nathan Jr., said.

Tebow – who is known to write Bible verses on his eye-black – threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. Harrington won the league by 0.8 points.

For anyone who has ever caught grief from a girlfriend or wife for his fantasy-football obsession, Harrington’s words could come in handy.

“My fantasy football was the one thing that kind of seemed to be going right at the time,” Harrington told The Salem News. “There was a lot to be upset about, but the one thing that was steady and heading in a positive direction was the fantasy football. So I thought I might as well stick with it and ride it out. Thank God I did.”

Harrington won a $3,500 gift card to Best Buy for his accomplishment. He sold it to his mother at a discount and will use the money to get his family into a new apartment.

“My fiancee says she’s never going to say a word about fantasy football when I’m on the computer again,” Harrington told The Salem News.